Africa Wild

Yeahhh , indeed a great relief to be able to carry on again . Toko , once again thank you very much

But , a simple word like P o k e r
What other words could be " forbidden "

Yes , the Alaskan landscape is great . Air is clear as can be , and sometimes you can see 250 kilometres into the distance

Mel , as for shooting the brown bear , well , firearms are very common , with just about every bakkie having a rifle mounted behind the driver's head , so , not really surprising .
And Alaska has a huge fur-trade We visited a fur-trade store in Anchorage , and they had 1000's of furs and skins in bundles , and on display Even animal skins from South Africa

Well, okie, all the fun you need on an Alaska trip is forbidden

List of forbidden words here

Hope you have more great vistas and scenery photos for us

Toko - . And on we go , still travelling at a rate of up to 250 miles every day


So , after a visit to the gift-shop and ........... , we continued again .
You will recall the road signpost earlier showing Eagle , and we wanted to go there , because then it would take us within the Arctic circle .
However , the road from Boundry was very very rough , and the road-tyres fitted to our vehicle could not take it , so , quess what ? Flat wheel !





After changing the spare , we had to consider . The distance to Eagle and back was about 140 miles , on a very rough road , and a real risk of further damaged tyres on the rough , untarred road , so , we decided rather to carry on towards Tetlin Junction and the tarred Alaska Highway . Pity , I would have liked to have been able to say that I have driven a car right into the Arctic circle , but ....... well , as I said before , we allow the road to lead us on , but we have to consider the risks and act accordingly . And somehow , we are being looked after , and count ourselves as being blessed .
Passing this old , worked out goldmine – Jack Wade . A sad sight , just standing there , machinery rusting , while nature is covering over the wounds and scars left by it .





then next stop , Chicken !
Yeahhh , we come round a bend and this is what we see . Another “ thriving/bustling ( ? )” , community ...........





The entrance into “ town “ -----




The town of Chicken was another thriving goldmine community in the 1890’s . And the name Ckicken ? Well , the story is that at the time of incorporating the place as a town , of course they needed a name for it to submit in their application to Washington DC . And after much deliberation amongst the people , they decided to name their new town after a bird which is abundant in Alaska , namely a Ptarmigan , which is a type of a snow-grouse or prairie-chicken.
However , since these were all fairly simple people , miners and such , nobody knew how to SPELL the word “ PTARMIGAN “ .
So , in order to settle the matter , eventually they decided to just name the town " CHICKEN " .

Well , here’s the local trading store – the Gold Panner . We had a nice long chat with the lady who owns the store . They have lived here for the past 25 years or so , digging for gold – only 4 months per year , then , at end of season , they go to the coast , catch a few hundred pounds Salmon , and then go to Florida where they spend the 7 months or so , before coming back next summer .





And sitting on the porch outside the shop ......





A chicken – made from fabric – Note , a “ kip “ is chicken in Dutch .




Another couple of hour’s drive from Chicken , back on the tar road again .....






Well , that’s all for now . More to follow

The town of Chicken was another thriving goldmine community in the 1890’s . And the name Ckicken ? Well , the story is that at the time of incorporating the place as a town , of course they needed a name for it to submit in their application to Washington DC . And after much deliberation amongst the people , they decided to name their new town after a bird which is abundant in Alaska , namely a Ptarmigan , which is a type of a snow-grouse or prairie-chicken.
However , since these were all fairly simple people , miners and such , nobody knew how to SPELL the word “ PTARMIGAN “ .
So , in order to settle the matter , eventually they decided to just name the town " CHICKEN " .

Classic!

Toko wrote:Well, okie, all the fun you need on an Alaska trip is forbidden

List of forbidden words here

Hope you have more great vistas and scenery photos for us

Luckily I never tell you about my medicines, Saturday evening funs and wrist watch

At P o k e r Creek I can understand that they need a “rest room”, but who would be staying at a guest house....Maybe it is halfway from and

At least “chicken” has a past and I like the sign. Did you see “the Old Grump”? I am sure that the owner of the shop is spending a lot of time on the porch

Those places have an all of their own charm

Okie,

Enjoyed your trip with you until Chicken and all the funny signs. Now lets see up is up after Chicken.

it's the end of the end
and with a flat tire

This is jaw-dropping stuff, okie, really appreciate the narration!

And your effort to scan the pics?


I would mention the word "rednecks" at some stage, but am a Bulls supporter...

Mel - Classic indeed
Lisbeth - Yeahhh , we did see the " Old Grump " . Turned out to be lady's husband , and he came in for a chat . Wanted some info about South Africa because there son had visited previously , and they were now also considering doing it .
BJ - - Lots more to come , and hope you will continue to enjoy
Nan - A flat tyre is somewhat " deflating " to your plans , but ...... ces't la vie
RP - . You know , I find that as I tell the story , then little snippets come back to me Great for me too , to " experience " those little incidents and scenes that we encountered .

Next stop another wide place in the road - Tok .
Yes - Tok . I'll tell you about it next posting .